Omnibtrs-reg-istek



W. M.l KEAGUE.

.Omnibus Register.

Patented Get. 11, 1859.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. KEAGUE, OF BROOKLYN, NEWY YORK.

OMNIBUS-REGISTER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,740, dated October 1l, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W. M. KEAGUE, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kingsand State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedOmnibus-Register; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in whichhFigure l represents a longitudinal vertical section of my invention.Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same, the cover being removed so asto expose the workin@ part. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view o themechanism for transmitting the movement ofthe step to the registeringapparatus.

Similar letters in the three views indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in a particular arrangement of parts for thepurpose of transmitting the vibrating motion of the step to theregistering apparatus, the whole being so arranged and adjusted that acertain known weight placed on the step sends the index-hand of theregistering apparatus around one half of the space between twosuccessive marks on the dial-plate and that for every full grown person,as the same steps into the omnibus and out again one fare is registered.Persons of less than the standard weight will cause the index-hand tomove only, in stepping out, as will be hereinafter more fully explained,so that for such only one half of a fare is registered.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention I willproceed to describe it.

The step, A, is constructed of a bed-plate, B, that supports the wholeof the registering apparatus. Secured to this bed-plate by means of avibrating three armed lever, O, is the platform, D, in such a mannerthat a weight placed 0n the same causes it to sink down. The lever, C,is connected to the under side of the platform by means of a rod, a,passing through lugs, Z), and to the upper side of the bed-plate, B, bya rod, c, passing through lugs, CZ, and the position of the platform isfurther steadied by additional levers, E, secured to the platform and tothe bed-plate by pins, e, passing through lugs, and g, as clearly shownin Figs. l and 2.

The rod, c, forms the fulcrum of the lever, C, which is situated quiteclosely to the points where said lever is attached to the platform sothat a slight motion of the platform causes. a considerable vibration ofthe longer aiun of the lever. The end of this arm forms a fork, 7L, thetwo prongs of which connect by means of rods, 2'-, with a cross-bar, F,which is attached by means of a screw-rod, j, to a stiff spring, G, insuch a manner that by the action of said spring the cross-bar, F,together with the fork, 7L, is depressed and consequently the front endof the lever, O, together with the platform, D, is raised as will beeasily understood by referring to Fig. l in the drawing. The screw rod,j, serv-es to adjust the tension of the spring, G, so that by increasingthe effective length of said rod the tension of the spring is decreasedand a smaller weight placed on the platform, D, is enabled to over comethe power of said spring and to depress the platform. If, on the otherhand, the effective length of the screw-rod is decreased, it takes alarger weight to depress the platform. The screw-rod, j, is furnishedwith a square head, L; and the lower end of said rod screws into asliding plate, Z. By using the head, therefore, the plate, Z, moves upand down, increasing or decreasing the tension of the spring so that theplatform, D, can readily be adjusted in such a manner as to be depressedby any desired weight.

The long arm of the lever, C, connects by a link, m, with a sliding bar,H, which moves up and down in guides, I, that are secured to a plate, J,which forms a part of the frame of the registering mechanism. Thesliding bar, H, is provided with a spring-catch, n, (see Fig. 3) thatcatches -under pins or cogs, 0, of a wheel, K, which is secured to anarbor, p, and from this arbor motion is conveyed by means of a pinion,g, and wheel, r, to an arbor, s, that carries the index-hand, L. Thishand moves over a dial-plate, M, that is marked with a number offigures, and the proportion between the wheel, K, pinion, g, and wheel,r, is such that for each cog of the wheel, K, the index-hand, L, movesover one-half the space between two successive figures on the dialplate. A pawl, t, that is secured to a rock-shaft, u, and depressed by aspring, o, prevents the wheel, K, turning back. An additionalindex-hand, a, is moved by the pinions, o L', and wheels c, c, in such amanner that it travels over a portion of the circle during the time theindex, L, has completed one revolution in the same manner as the hourhand, and the minute hand of a watch or clock.

If a weight be placed on the platform, D, the spring bar, H, togetherwith the spring catch, n, will move up and a rotary motion will beimparted to the wheel, K. The weight must be so heavy, or the spring,Gr, must be so adjusted, that the platform is depressed suciently toturn the wheel, K, over the whole distance between two subsequent cogsso that when the weight is taken off, and the sliding bar recedes, thespring catch, fn, catches under the next following cog. By this motionthe index-hand, L, is propelled over one half of the distance betweentwo subsequent marks on the dialplate. If the weight placed on theplatform is not suficiently heavy, the motion imparted to thesliding-bar, H, is not suliicient to turn the wheel, K, over the wholedistance between two of its cogs, so that the springcatch, n, is notenabled to catch under a new cog, and the weight can be put on theplatform and taken oft1 a number of times without producing an effect onthe index-hand, L. On the other hand the platform, D, is so arrangedthat the weight may be ever so heavy and it will not produce sufficientmotion of the sliding-bar, H, to turn the wheel, K, over more than onecog.

It is now desired to charge full fare for all persons weighing 50 lbs.and upward; the spring, G, is so adjusted that with a weight of 50 lbs.the wheel K, is turned for one cog and whenever a person weighing over50 lbs. steps into the omnibus and out again, the wheel, K, will becaused to move over two eogs, and the index-hand, L, will travel fromone mark on the dial plate to the next one.

If a person weighing less than 50 lbs.

steps into the omnibus, no motion of the index hand will be produced.The weight of such a person in stepping out however will be suiiicientto cause the wheel, K, to move over one cog, the momentum of the personin stepping down being sucient to overcome the tension of the springeven if the absolute weight of said person is smaller than the standardweight (50 lbs.) to which the spring is adjusted. For persons weighingless than 50 lbs., therefore, the indexhand L, will be moved over onehalf the distance between two subsequent marks on the dial plate,whenever such a person steps into the omnibus, and out again, and onlyhalf a fare will be registered.

It is obvious that the number of fares registered by my apparatus can beincreased at pleasure so that the person having charge of the stage lineis enabled at all times to compare the amount of money handed in by thedriver of the omnibus with the number of fares registered by theapparatus.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is :w

l. The arrangement and combination of the platform, D, vibrating lever,C, and adjustable spring, G, substantially as and for the purposespecied.

2. In combination with the platform, D, and spring, G, 4I claim thesliding bar, H, spring catch, n, and wheel, K, substantially as and forthe purpose described.

3. Arranging the step, A, in combination with the registering apparatus,substantially as described, so that it registers half fares as well asfull fares.

WILLIAM M. KEAGUE.

Vitnesses:

M. M. LIVINGSTON, C. M. HUGHES.

